Speaking openly about the project in an interview with Broadcast, he said: "Writing Doctor Who, you don't give a monkey's [about the opinion of diehard fans]. You write it for your audience, not for the people who will watch it anyway.

"I don't mean to sound contemptible at all - I'm a fan so there are a lot of things that I want to nod to or embrace - but you can't be ruled by that. Here, this is holy writ; they're real people."